Mary Kay ordered to pay $26M-plus in patent infringement lawsuit

Mary Kay Inc. was ordered to pay more than $26 million in back royalties to TriStrata Technology Inc. in connection with a patent infringement case.

A state district court in Wilmington, Del., on March 31, denied Addison-based Mary Kay's post-trial motions and ordered the cosmetics company to pay $26.4 million in back royalties to TriStrata, the company said Wednesday.

Mary Kay said in a statement Wednesday that it would begin an appeals process now that a court judgment has been issued in the case.

Mary Kay said the original lawsuit, filed in 2001, is related to products Mary Kay created in the 1990s using its own patented Alpha Hydroxy Acid technology. The company says it no longer markets products containing Alpha Hydroxy Acid technology because anti-aging skin care technology has advanced.

With interest, TriStrata says the total amount of the judgment is about $41.4 million.

The court also blocked Mary Kay from infringing on three patents that were part of the case.